Traction-machine.



in. 867,828. PATENTBD 001". a, 1907..

G. W.MoGILL. f

' TRACTION MAGHINE. APPLIOATION FILED M119, 1997.

fray/a2 I UNITED STATES:

GEORGE w.- McGILL, or ENID, OKLAHOMA TERRITORY.

- TRAC ION- ACHINE.

To all whom'it may concerns I Be it known that 1,-Gnonen W. .MCGILL, acitizen of the United States, residing at Enid, in the county ofGarfield and Territory of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Traction-Ma.

chines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to traction machines and more especially to atraction machine'of that character provided with two main or drive.wheels and a caster, and my object is to produce a machine of thischaracter adapted particularly for operating a header or mowingmachineor a plow .and equipped with means to enable the person control to headthe machine in the direction desired with ease and despatch and with nowaste of grain and so disposedas to avoid traversing a tortuous coursein its trips across the field,

A further object is to provide a machine with supplemental steeringmeans for use particularly when the caster is trailing along at the rearof the machine.

A further object'is to produce a machine of the type outlined which isof simple, strong, compactand durable construction.

To these ends the invention consists in certain novel and peculiarfeatures of construction and organization as hereinafter described andclaimed; and in order that.

it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the I accompanyingdrawing, in which in bearings G-secured to cross bars 7 of the frame.

8 indicates a sleeve keyed to slide upon shaft 5 and to rotate with thesame and said sleeve is provided at its opposite ends with gear pinions9 and 10.

11 indicates a pair of collars rigid with sleeve 8 and 12 a ringjournaled on the sleeve between the collars and provided with outwardlyprojecting pins 13 engaged by a lever 14 pivotally mounted as at 15 on abracket 16 depending from the framework, said lever being equipped withthe usual catch mechanism 17 for en:

gagement with the notched sector 18 secured to cross bars 7, the notchof the'sector with which the catch. is engaged determining whetherpinion 9 or pinion 10 or either of them shall be in engagement with apair of large bevel gear wheels 19 and 20 mounted on the innerends of apair of shafts 21 and 22journaled in the framework, it' being noticedthat said shafts 21 and 22 are always driven in opposite directions, fora purpose which hereinafter appears.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 19,1907. SerialNo. 368,234.-

Patented Oct. 8, 1907.

A clutch mechanism consists of a friction disk 23 keyed to slide uponand rotate with shaft 21, and a companion friction disk 24 equipped withsprocket wheel 25 connected by a chain 26 with a sprocket wheel 27 ofthat type known as a compensating wheel common inautomobileconstruction. The compensating wheel 27 is mounted upon a pair oflongitudinally alined "shafts 28.and -29 suitably journaled and equippedat their outer ends with small gears 30 meshing with large gears 31rotatable with wheels 3 preferably by being secured to the latter asshown at 32 in Fig. 2. The compensating Wheel is adapted underordinaryconditions to rotate the shafts 28 and 29 at the same, speed but'topermit either ofsaid shafts to be driven at a greater speed withoutinterfering with the operation of the companion shaft.

Mounted on shaft 21 is a clutch consisting of a disk 33 arranged toslide upon and turn with shaft 21, and a companion disk 34 journaled onthe shaft and equipped with a sprocket wheel 35 connected by chain 36with a sprocket wheel 37 on shaft 28. Also mounted on shaft 21 is aclutch consisting of a disk 38 mounted to' slide upon and rotate withshaft 21 and a disk 39 journaled on said shaft and equipped with asprocket Wheel40, connected by a chain 41 with the sprocket wheel 42 onshaft 29.

When one of the shafts 28 and 29 is driven through the medium of itssprocket it will revolve more rapidly than its companion shaft driventhrough the medium of the compensating wheel and in order to guardagainst any possibility of both of the connected clutches being inoperative position simultaneously, the disks 33 and one of them inoperative position and the other inoperative.

A fourth clutch mechanism consists of the friction disks 48 and 49, theformer being arranged to slide upon and rotate with the shaft, Disk 49is journaled upon the shaft and is provided with a sprocket wheel.50connected bychain 51 withthe sprocketwheel. 52 mounted on shaft 29. 53and 54 indicate levers pivotally connected to disks 23 and 48 in theusual manner and fulcrumed on cross bar 7, and 55 is a link pivotally.usual catch and sector mechanism, not shown, being provided in order topermit the clutches connected to levers 53 and 54 to be both heldinoperative or with one in operative position and the other inoperative.

58 is a bracket secured to-one side of frame 1 and i I the medium ofshafts 28- and-29 and gear wheels'30 and forming an additional journalfor the outer end of shaft 21 and secured on said shaft within thebrackctris-holst wheel 59 for the purpose of operating stationary orother machinery when desired. Onthe outer end; oi, the shaft is a bevelgear 60 to begearedto the cutting mechanismof a header, mower or othermachine.

In practice when the header or mower is to be operatcg. by the tractionmachine it is connectedjo the end of the same occupied by wheels 3. Atsuch time the clutch connected to operate sprocket wheel52- is disposedinoperatively as shown in Flig. 1-, and the clutches connected tooperate sprockets 37 and 42-are also disposed inoperatively, the clutchconnected to the compensating Wheel-being-arranged so as to trans mitmotion to the same and thence to wheels 3 through 31, the direction ofrotation being in the direction indicated by the arrow Fig. 2 for thepurpose of pushing the header or the mower-as the case may be aheadot;

field from thatfrom which the machine startedand parted to wheel 52causes the wheel3' at-the'right hand consequently when the cuttingmechanism of the header or mower is beyond said side, the progress ofthetraction machine is arrested and the clutch connected to thecompensating wheel is thrown out of sideof the machineto travel backwardin the directionindicated bythe arrow at, Fig; 1, this action causingthe machine to make a quarter turn and faceto the right or at rightangles to its original position. The lever- 56 employed for throwing theclutchconnected to thecompensating wheel to inoperative position andthe- .clutch connected to wheel 52 to operative position,

is now reversed to restore saidparts to-theinoriginal relation when themachine again starts forward. It

will be noticed that, bythe manipulation of the engine described,'themachine iscaused to reverse its position and that of the header ormowerin the swath just made and that in its second travelit may becaused to move directly at right angles or at any other angle in adirect line, the contour-of the field determining its direction oftravel as the grain is preferably cut from the outer side of the field.It will thus be seen that when'the machine is traveling across thefield,the clutch connected to wheel 52 is inoperative and that thecom-penlatter is being driven through the medium of pinion 10 l satingwheel revolves shafts 28 and 29in the same direction and at the samespeed and that consequently clutch disk 49 turns loosely on shaft 52 andinthe opposite direction to the revolution of the same, as the and gearwheel 20 in the opposite direction to that which pinion 10 and gearwheel 19 imparts to shaft 21. If it is desired to back the machinewithout reversing thecngine, lever 14 is manipulated to adjust sleeve 87 so as to throw pinion 10 out of and pinion 9 into engage ment withbevel gears 19 and 20. If during the proggress of the machine across thefield with the header or gpelled through the medium ofithe compensatingwheel as explained, it should be necessary to steer the ma- ,ohine tothe right or left it may be accomplished by the manipulationof levcr 46.Assuming that the machine is, traveling in astated direction and thatthe operator i to throw the clutch connected to sprocket'whccl 37 out'of gear and the clutch connected to sprocket 42 into igear: This actionbecause said sprocket wheels are smaller than. the compensating'wheel;accelerates the iwheelB-to rotate at a greater speed than the companionwheeb3-and guides the machine to the loft; isired to cause the lefthand'wheel3 to revolve more rapiidly than the right-hand wheel 1'- saidlever is maniplulated to throw the clutch-connected to sproclcotwhcol542 out of-gearand the clutch connected to sprocket 37 into gear, theresult being the operation ofi shait 28- is accelerated. v

' When the machine isto beemployed lg rr opornting'a '5 plow, adapted-tobe'secured-to the frame in any suitiable' manner andat any. desiredpoint but preferably .rearward of the axis-ofwheels 3", the engine scanbe re- "fversed or the lever 14 can be manipulated to throw :pinion9-into and pinion 10 out of engagement. with ing it isdcsired that thecasterend oi the machine shall ibe the front end with the plow trailingbehind. When lthe end ofthe row is reached-and it is desired to corntiuue the furrow at a right or any other angle, the fclutch connected tothe sprocket wl1eol'52 can be ithrown into gear-and the compensatingwheel thrown i outpfi gear simultaneously for the purpose of causing the"machine to back around in a. quarter of a. circle as {ployedto pull abarrow-or drill and is running with "the caster wheel in front, one oithe clutchesior speeding the shafts connected to the main wheels can bethrown into operative condition and-thus increase the "ispee d of theright or left hand wheels and cause the machine to turn to the leftorright as the case may be. Eromthe above descriptionitwill beapparcnuthat 51 have produced a. traction. machine possessing thefeatures ofadvantage enumerated} as desirable and I wish it tobe-understood that I do notzdesire to be restricted to theexact-detailed construction shownand described as-ohviousmodificationswill suggest themselves toone skilled in-the art.

' Having thus described the invention what. Lclaim asnew and:dosiretosccureby Letters Patent; is;,

1.- A. traction machine, comprising a frame, ib'llflll': oi. wheelsand=a caster, supporting the; some, a. shaft gearedto one of saidwhqclsanda sccond shaft gcurcdto the v other of said wheels, a compensatingwheel mounted on said shafts, means to operate said compensating wheel,and means whereby either of said: shafts may be turned at. agreatenspeed-than thr tloih the compensating: Wheel. atraflMmmrwhine. mpr si rme, a pair. or I wheels and; a caster supporting the same, a shaftgeared to one of said wheels and a second shaft geared to the otherot'said'whcels, a compeusa-tingwhccl mounted on saidnshafts adniveu.shaft gcarorhtoino compensating wheel, alpair: 0t clutchcson thei drivenska-It and each geared to one of. the first-named shafts, and menus, foroperating and holding said clutches inoperative or one of theminoperative. and the other operative.

l 3. A traction machine, comprising arr-r ms, Bill ng:

-mowing machine pushed ahead of the same and pro- V desires to steerslightly to the left, he operates said lever i'operation of shaft 29audtherefore causes right hand If it is-dc hereinbefore explained. Wherrthemachine is em:

bevel gears, I9'and"2(), it being apparent thatin plowwheels and acaster supporting the same, a shaft geared to one of said wheels and asecond shaft geared to the other of said wheels, a compensating wheelmounted on said shafts, a driven shaft geared to the compensating wheel,a pair of clutches on the'driven shaft and each gearedto one of thefirst-named shafts, and a lever connected tosaid clutches for operatingand holding both of them inoperative or one inoperative and the otheroperative.

4. A traction machine, comprising a frame, a pair of wheels and a castersupporting the same, a shaft geared to one of said wheels and a secondshaft geared to the otherof said wheels, a compensating wheel mounted onsaid shafts, a pair of oppositely driven shafts, a clutch on one of thedriven shafts .geared tothe compensating wheel, a clutch on the otherdriven shaft geared to one of the first-named shafts, and means forsimultaneously operatingsaid clutches and throwing one to inoperativecondition and the other to operative position successively 5. A tractionmachine, comprising a frame, a pair of wheels and a mister supportingthe same, a shaft geared to one of said Wheels and a second-shaft gearedto the which the compensating wheel is mounted, levers consaid shafts, adriven shaft, :1 pair of shafts suitably 40 journaled and longitudinallyalined and equipped with bevel gears, a clutch on one of said shafts andgeared to the compensating wheel, a clutch on the other of said shaftsand geared to one of the shafts on which the compensating wheel ismounted, ajsleeve rotatable with and slidahle longitudinally on thedriven shaft and provided with oppositely facing pinions, means to causeone of said pinions or the other to simultaneously engage and the/ otherto become disengaged from said bevel gears, and

means for holding said clutches inoperative or for throwing one of them'to inoperative and the other'to operative position successively. v Intestimony whereof I aflix my signature, in the prescnce of twowitnesses.

Witnesses P. R. BnowN, '1. '1 MAXWELL.

GEORGE w. McGILL.

